Review: Nick and Nat's Uptown 21

When I first heard about Nick and Nat's Uptown 21, I was told that the chef from Hannah's was the chef at Uptown 21. And while I never made it to Hannah's before it closed, I did make it to Hannah's Tapa's. I was in love with Hannah's Tapa's and Martin loved Hannah's so we had high hopes for Uptown 21.

And we were not disappointed! One of the first things that stood out about Uptown 21 is that they use seasonal local produce. The second thing that stood out is that they have a daily prix fixe menu.
I fell in love with fixed menus when I was living in the Netherlands; Less choices, but more affordable if you want a 3 course meal. One of the top reasons I love fixed menus is because I often have to try foods that I've never tried, or have not tried in a long time. And Uptown 21 did not disappoint in that sense.

Now, I was hoping to grab the menu to take a picture of it so I would remember what I had eaten, but I forgot to do that (and we were one of the last tables in the restaurant at that point too). So I'll try my best to accurately describe the dishes we ate.
Also, sorry for the quality of the photographs! The lighting was terrible for picture taking so I had to use flash!

First up: Captain Picard’s foie gras bites; Nick’s interpretation of the great French Canadian chef’s foie gras croquettes

The first thing I thought when I read the description was....omg Captain Picard! teeheehee. Sorry, the trekkie in me cannot be contained sometimes. The second thought...oh! Martin Picard! This is going to be awesome! And it was! The fois gras had melted a little since it was deep fried and the texture was amazingly silky. And the sauce! TO DIE FOR! I really had to stop myself from licking the plate (and I obviously could not stop myself from devouring it before taking a picture! Oops!) You can tell it's the chef from Hannah's because of the sauces! This little baby will only set you back $4 to boot! I could go for a few more of these!

Now on to the daily Prix Fixe Menu that we went for. My cousin, Martin and I all went for the 3 courses of 2 apps and a main which is $40. If you did 1 app, a main and a dessert then it would be only $35. Martin's mom went for a main on the regular menu.

First up, the first appetizer:

This appetizer was what I choose. It is a squash carpaccio, blonde frisse with fried onions and a corn and cheese fritter. And again the sauce with it was amazing. I'm pretty sure it had figs in it. The squash was cut so thinly it just felt so light to eat. I think I might be a squash lover now! And the fritter was perfectly fried; not too hard and not too soft. And it just burst with flavour. I could eat this everyday. Seriously, not exaggerating.

This was Martin's first choice. A salted cod spread with toasted bread. He loved it, I however was not a fan since it was very salty and fishy...and I'm not a fan of fish. But any fish or seafood lover would love this!

Next up for our second app:

This is what I choose: Beet salad with aged cheddar and roasted corn. Again, I could eat this everyday! It was a very light salad that was dressed very lightly and full of flavour. Dispite what the picture looks like, this salad was a mountain! I couldn't finish it all so Martin also had some of it.

And Martin's choice was a Morrocan style lamb soup with kale.  I loved it! The lamb had a really nice spice taste and the kale was a great addition of texture. Martin was not really a fan of the kale though.

And now the mains!

 My choice was the braised baby beef shank. And oh was it good! It was so tender and caramelized. It was really just falling off the bone! I'm really sad that I could not eat it all since I had stuffed myself so much with the apps! Oh well, next time I know to take it easy.

Martin got yellow perch a cheese fondue and pureed pumpkin. Martin said it was amazing, but the least amazing out of all the courses. Again, I found it too fishy (but I am not a fish lover).

And yes, on top of all that found my cousin and I shared a dessert: Crème brulée.

Yes, we ate it all before I remember to take a picture! It was to die for. The BEST Crème brulée I have ever had! Can you see all the vanilla seeds in the bottom. I ate as many of them as I could.

And Martin's mom choice a main off of the regular menu: Choucroute Garnis; house smoked sausages, bacon and pork loin chop braised with white wine sauerkraut, potatoes and apples $28.

I did not try this but it smelled delicious! And it was a huge portion! Two people could have eaten that! (there was more of the side in a hot skillet that is not in the picture).


I really hope that I am able to go to Nick and Nat's Uptown 21 more often. I cant wait to see what else they can come up with!

Overall I was blown away by the food. It took a long time to get to the table, but it was worth the wait, and it was a nice change to spend a few hours in the restaurant and not get pushed out. The only thing that I think needs improvement is the service, as a drink order or two was forgotten. But overall I have nothing to complain about!


Nick and Nat's Uptown 21's rating is:  5/5

Nick & Nat's Uptown21
21 King Street North, Waterloo, ON
(519-883-1100)
http://www.uptown21.ca/